Charles and Catherine Hover came to Colorado in the early 1900's from Chicago. Charles was semi-retired after having had a very successful and lucrative career as a wholesale pharmaceutical salesman. He moved to Denver where he helped his brother part time, who was in the same business, pharmaceutical sales.

The Hovers were in Denver a relatively short period of time when Charles' health began to fail. They moved to Longmont and brought the property on the west side of town where the Hover Community, Inc. is now located in hopes that Charles' health would improve with "country living".

Construction of the Hover home took four years to complete and was finally ready for their occupancy in 1912. The beautiful, Tudor style Hover home consists of 3,500 square feet of living space and includes many "modern" conveniences that were unheard of and considered quite eccentric and extravagant at the time. The total cost of the home in 1912 was $25,000.

The Hovers lived a quiet country life on the outskirts of Longmont. Their property included many acres west of a line that now extends from Mountain View Avenue all the way north to Highway 66. Charles Hover dabbled at being a "gentleman farmer" and shared the profits of the crops raised on his land with his tenant farmer 50-50, which is and was considered very generous.

The Hovers settled into life in Longmont and became very involved in the community. Charles served on the Chamber of Commerce, and as mayor and both he and Catherine were very involved in their Episcopal Church. They donated many hours of service to the church as well as large sums of money. The Hovers regularly hosted church and community fundraisers, known as Sylvan Suppers, at their home.

Around the time the Hovers moved to Longmont they adopted their daughter Beatrice, when she was nine years old. The St. Vrain Historical Society tells the story that Beatrice had previously been in and out of orphanages and on and off the streets. Beatrice also may have been distantly related to the Hovers in some way. It is believed that Beatrice was taken in by the Hovers, who were childless, and that an informal "agreement" was reached. The belief is that the agreement was, in effect: in exchange for "everything a girl could ever want", Beatrice would agree to take care of her adoptive parents in their old age. And this Beatrice did, gladly. People who knew her say that Beatrice was a deeply caring, giving, generous, down to earth, unselfish, beautiful woman.

Beatrice never married. She cared for and nursed her aging parents until they died. She stayed in the house long after they were gone until she was aged herself. She had many projects, charities and hobbies to keep her busy. Her most well known pastime is the Hoverhome gardens which, in full spring time bloom, are absolutely spectacular. Beatrice was also an accomplished Braille translator.

Beatrice's most altruistic and generous project is known as the Hover Manor. Her mother, Catherine, had first envisioned a place where the low-income elderly could live out their retirement years in dignity. It was Catherine's vision that the Hover Manor be a part of the Longmont community and it was Beatrice, who made sure that it happened. The Hover Manor was completed and residents began occupancy in 1979.

At that time Beatrice was in her late 70's and ready to retire from managing the family holdings. She moved to an apartment at Hover Manor and continued to flourish through her interests and hobbies until 1991. She approached the pastor of her beloved Episcopal Church and asked if the church could take over the management of the Hover "community". Sadly, her church leaders did not know the first thing about managing retirement housing. Happily, a cousin advised Beatrice that the Methodists did know how! In fact, the Methodists had a local organization, the Rocky Mountain United Methodist Homes and Ministries(RMUMHM), already in place, managing retirement facilities.

The RMUMHM managed the Hover Manor, the Hoverhome and Frasier Meadows Manor in Boulder for several years with the help of a volunteer Board of Directors. In 1987 RMUMHM was reorganized to allow for de-centralized management of each facility. In 1989 the Hover Community, Inc. was established and construction of the Beatrice Hover Personal Care Unit began. Beatrice Hover herself served as "Chief Sidewalk Superintendent" with a perfect view of construction from her fifth floor apartment at the Hover Manor.

Part of the Board's master plan was to include a diverse choice of housing. In the mid 1980's the property now known as "the duplexes" was sold to a developer specifically for the purpose of erecting retirement cottages. The occupants own the properties and a covenant exists requiring that one must be at least 55 years of age to own one of those properties. This neighborhood was designed to be included as an extension of the Hover "community" and the folks who live there are welcome to use all of the Hover Community services for the usual guest fees.

Beatrice passed away in 1991 only a few weeks before completion of the Beatrice Hover Personal Care Unit. Her generosity is reflected in the bequest of vacant land for the benefit of the retirement community.

In 1997 the name of the Beatrice Hover Personal Care Unit was changed to the Beatrice Hover Assisted Living Residence to more accurately reflect the services provided. The Bea Hover ALR has been the "standard" for assisted living in Longmont and has been used as a model for other facilities.

Also in 1997 was the sale of the Hoverhome to the St. Vrain Historical Society. The City of Longmont declared the Hoverhome an historical landmark and the Hover Board felt the Hoverhome would better serve the community in the hands of the historical society. Also that year Hover Community sold a small piece of land on the south side of the property to a developer who continues construction of Hover Woods. These luxury townhomes are like the duplexes: a covenant states that property owners must be 55 years or older.